This invention relates to cartoner assemblies and methods for the packaging industry. Particularly, this invention relates to continuous motion cartoner assemblies to load article groups into opened carton sleeves.
The cartoner assembly of the present invention is particularly designed to be fully adjustable to package different types, styles and sizes of articles, i.e. cans and bottles, and a wide range of article group patterns. The cartoner assembly is easily adjustable to meet the changes of these article parameters and loads the article groups into the carton sleeves in a fast and reliable manner.
In the past, various machines and processes have been proposed and utilized to continuously package selected article groups into cartons. Each prior art machine and process, however, accomplishes the packaging of the article groups in a distinct manner and utilizes particular machinery. For example, article groups can be continuously selected from an article infeed stream or provided in a preselected manner, dropped into or placed onto partially opened or erected cartons and subsequently closed. Alternatively, carton blanks are folded and constructed about individual article groups, which generally requires the use of particular carton structures as well as cooperating carton folding and constructing equipment. These prior art cartoners have limited adjustability, limited output capability, restricted use and have been difficult and costly to maintain due to their respective designs.
Prior art cartoner assemblies include U.S. Pat. No. 4,802,324 to applicants' assignee for a Vertical Cartoning Assembly and Method which discloses the placement and assembly of cartons over preselected article groups being moved on a conveyor. In operation, folded cartons are placed between carton flights and lowered over moving preselected article groups by means of a cam rail/cam follower structure. The cartons are subsequently folded and closed into a wrapped configuration to yield a stream of packaged product. Further, U.S. Pat. No. 5,036,644, also to applicants' assignee, discloses a Packaging Sleever Assembly which transfers flat packaging sleeves directly onto preselected article groups and subsequently wraps and closes the cartons. The latter assembly utilizes cam actuated flight bar structures which move in a generally perpendicular direction relative to the article transfer conveyor to select article groups and to transfer carton sleeve structures for subsequent wrapping and closing.
Various end loading packaging machines have also been proposed in the art. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 3,778,959 to Langen et al. discloses an end loader which utilizes a plurality of transversely extending spaced apart fences or flights mounted on a conveyor to rake or capture a predetermined number of containers from infeed container slips. The fences or flights function in cooperation with stationary transverse guide rail structures to discharge the containers into an end loading shipper package. Further, U.S. Pat. No. 4,237,673 to calvert et al. discloses a machine also for loading container sleeves through their open ends. The latter machine utilizes a plurality of transverse parallel spaced apart metering bars together with fixed guides that are disposed at an acute angle to the path of the metering bars. The open ended sleeve type containers are carried between the metering bars and the metered packages are forced along the fixed guides and into the open ends of the respective packages. Although these disclosures show machines which load article groups into the ends of cartons, these machines lack control of the article groups to provide finished packaged products that are tight and stable. These machines are also limited in packaging speed and are difficult to adjust with respect to the packaging of various article group orientations and carton sleeve sizes. U.S. Pat. No. 4,936,077 to Langen et al. discloses a carton loading machine which overcomes some of the problems and limitations of the '959 and '673 patent disclosures by utilizing pusher mechanisms with spring loaded pusher heads to stagger adjacent product group rows during transfer into the carton. The machine further utilizes cam activated spaced load divider blades along an angularly inclined discharge plane and between which the pusher mechanisms operate. This machine disclosure also lacks the amount of control and adjustability required for high speed packaging of varying article group orientations.
The present invention provides an adjustable continuous motion cartoner assembly which selects predetermined article group patterns from parallel infeed streams of articles and which transfers the article groups into the opened ends of carton sleeves being moved parallel to and in synchronization with the article groups. The cartoner assembly of the invention includes article group transfer structures which enable the individual rows of the article group to be moved and controlled with a positive force so that the article group can be tightly placed and maintained between the walls of the carton.
The cartoner assembly of the invention further provides article instream structures, article transfer structures and carton flight adjustment structures that permit easy adjustment of the assembly so that a variety of articles and article group patterns can be selected and controlled for transfer into the opened ends of a range of packaging carton sizes and configurations.